According to the Daily Mail, Xabi Alonso's Chelsea had an average possession of only 32% in their first two Premier League games but won both.

A team can win the Premier League with less possession. However, in 34 Premier League seasons, this has only happened once, creating the most remarkable title-winning story.

Claudio Ranieri's Leicester City won the title in the 2015-16 season at odds of 5000-1, with an average possession of only 42.4%. That was the era of "dilly-ding, dilly-dong," pizza nights, and Jamie Vardy's partying.

For those obsessed with possession, better luck next year. That was a beautiful exception, and the last time a team finished in the top five of the Premier League with less than 50% possession.

Last season, Sunderland finished 7th, the highest-ranked team with less than 50% possession. In the previous two seasons, it was Nottingham Forest in 7th and West Ham in 9th. Going back further, you find Leicester City in 1st. Apart from that football fairy tale, top teams usually reach high positions by controlling possession.

Chelsea will visit Arsenal today, and some have already started discussing whether the two teams will contend for the top spot in May. Xabi Alonso's team beat Fulham and Brighton with an average possession of only 32%.

This is more than 10 percentage points lower than Leicester City in the 2015-16 season, and only Hull City has lower possession than Chelsea this season.

Of course, a sample of two games is not large, and the relevant data has specific contexts, but Chelsea's change is still notable. The team has gone from "respecting the ball" under Liam Rosenior to "rejecting the ball" under Alonso, and still winning.

Chelsea should gain more possession later, although this may not be the case against Arsenal today. Given how Alonso previously made history with Bayer Leverkusen, Chelsea's current style of play is unexpected.

Alonso was fond of a training drill called "possession game" at Leverkusen. Two teams of eight players each would compete in a narrow area, with three neutral players in bibs serving both teams. There were no goals in the drill, and one point was awarded for completing 10 consecutive passes.

If the rhythm was too slow, Alonso would intervene and personally demonstrate the desired pace with passes. This drill aimed to help players maintain possession, find space, exploit numerical advantages, adapt to being on the ball, and establish control amidst chaos.

At the end of the 2023-24 season, Alonso led Leverkusen to their first-ever Bundesliga title. The team's average possession reached 62.1%, ranking first among all Bundesliga teams that season.

Therefore, Chelsea's start to the season is particularly intriguing. If Alonso continues with this style of play, Chelsea fans might not mind.

Chelsea fans never truly accepted Enzo Maresca. As Pep Guardiola's disciple, Maresca's football emphasized patient passing, but the high number of sideways passes did not suit Chelsea fans' preferences. They had embraced Jose Mourinho's pragmatic philosophy and had witnessed the team win the Premier League and Champions League under Antonio Conte and Thomas Tuchel's three-at-the-back systems, respectively.

Below are the highest-ranked Premier League teams with less than 50% possession in the last 11 seasons:

2024-25 Season: Sunderland, 7th place, 44.8%

2023-24 Season: Nottingham Forest, 7th place, 40.7%

2022-23 Season: West Ham, 9th place, 40.5%

2021-22 Season: Aston Villa, 7th place, 49.2%

2020-21 Season: West Ham, 7th place, 47.4%

2019-20 Season: West Ham, 6th place, 42.5%

2018-19 Season: Wolves, 7th place, 48%

2017-18 Season: Wolves, 7th place, 46.3%

2016-17 Season: Burnley, 7th place, 42.9%

2015-16 Season: West Brom, 10th place, 36.7%

2014-15 Season: Leicester City, 1st place, 42.4%

Chelsea's possession against Fulham this season was 38.1%, and against Brighton it was 25.9%. Arsenal's possession against Coventry was 64.1%, and against Aston Villa it was 60.8%.

When Conte led Chelsea to the title in the 2016-17 season, the team's average possession was 54.8%, higher than only Leicester City among English league champions.

Alonso may be employing a style of play more in line with Chelsea's traditions, but these statistics also have context.

Chelsea's opponents in the first two games both prioritized possession. In the first match against Alvaro Arbeloa's Fulham, Chelsea took the lead after 31 seconds and eventually won 3-2.

They then faced Fabian Hürzeler's Brighton, with Chelsea winning 4-3. According to Opta, Chelsea's possession in that game was only 25.9%, setting a new Premier League low for the club since statistics began.

However, Chelsea were 1-0 up after 4 minutes and 3-0 up after 32 minutes, so there was no need to rush to regain possession. Moises Caicedo has been affected by injury and has not started a game this season.

With Caicedo absent, Chelsea paired Reece James and Romeo Lavia in midfield against Fulham, and Malo Gusto and Lavia against Brighton. Lavia is working to improve his fitness and hopes to play his first full 90 minutes for Chelsea in a competitive match soon. Caicedo's absence has also exposed Chelsea's defensive problems, with the team conceding 5 goals in two games.

Chelsea's defensive shortcomings have been offset by their attacking performance. The direct style of play suits the attacking trio of Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers, and João Félix, a combination particularly adept at creating threats through transitions. Rogers will be a player to watch in this match.

For much of this summer, Arsenal believed Rogers would join them. Chelsea also wanted to sign Rogers, but club officials admitted they weren't very confident at the time, as Arteta's team was widely considered the favorite.

Chelsea closely monitored Arsenal's negotiations and pounced when they hesitated, quickly offering Aston Villa £117 million. Arsenal then stated they were only willing to pay a maximum of £80 million, though other sources suggested Arsenal had initially been prepared to offer over £100 million. Rogers said after joining Chelsea that he had joined "the biggest club in London."

Now Rogers will participate in this battle between the Premier League's strongest attack and strongest defense, and try to show Arsenal what they missed, provided Chelsea can gain possession.

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